younggun308

Uh, I found on Amazon.Com, a Jim Zumbo book called Hunt Elk , but I noticed, it was made in 1985, I bet it's fine for learning methods of elk hunting, but if it talks about the best states for elk, and how the elk populations are doing, etc., wouldn't it be severly outdated? Since elk populations have risen in lots of areas, and been falling in some areas plagued by wolves.

Is there another book besides "Hunt Elk", that would be better, or would the book I mentioned above be just fine? I want a reliable source, so please understand my concern.

James B

I still think that checking directly with the states you plan to hunt is the way to go for more current info and Regs. The book you mentioned probably would be fine for the basics of elk hunting.

Howler

And your posts helped how? Maybe you need to look in the mirror, since your post didn't help answer any of the questions at hand![]

fillae

Hopefully it helped younggun and others like him to not be discouraged by the "old guard" that hangs out here. I certainly regret hijacking his thread, and I apologize for that.

younggun308

No problem , fillae, in fact, I like it how you kept this thread from going into the archives.

BTW, there are quite a few members who don't go for the "old guard" thing, and I do appreciate them, but usually I post threads more in Deer and Gun forums, and I am able to ask rather specific questions, or, I understand what they're talking about when they reply.

I do appreciate your concern, though.

ShatoDavis

Without offending Fillae, There's an old saying that my grandpa used to say to me I'd like to pass along: "If you'r going to play, you have to get in the game!"

Research is a very large portion of the"game", as is scouting,shooting, training, etc. Here's a very good article from Eastman's hunting journal about researching Trophy Mule deer areas. theadvice can just as easily be used in your reasearch of multiple species. I would highly recommend Eastman's magazine to you. Anyway here's the Article:



E-mail This Article[/align]Print This Article[/align][/align]We've all heard it before, 'Big mule deer are where you find them.' This statement is as true today as it ever was. The only problem is that today there are fewer places to find and hunt trophy mule deer bucks.

Like most hunters that grew up in the West, I grew up hunting mule deer. Through some unfortunate fate, I missed the glory days of mule deer hunting. In fact, I missed the decent hunting of the 80's, and didn't really start my mule deer hunting career until after the devastating winter of '92/93.
With limited success on smaller bucks I made myself a promise. That after graduating from college in the spring of 2000, trophy mule deer would become my number one hunting priority. The consistent self-guided harvest of above average mule deer bucks is a goal that very few hunters are serious enough to devote themselves to.

Old man Webster refers to a 'goal' as, 'Th e state of aff airs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it; the ends justify the means.' If you're serious about harvesting and hunting big mule deer make it a goal. Th ere are literally hundreds of thousands of mule deer hunters that hit the wilds each fall in search of trophy mule deer, yet very few consistently harvest big deer. I look back on my early days of mule deer hunting and marvel that I was successful at all. Th ere were a lot of years of trial and error. Th ey were some very frustrating years that gave me the experience to get over the learning curve hump.

For most of us, a 170 gross typical B&C buck is a trophy. In today's day and age many hunters will never harvest a buck of this caliber. Deer in the 180 class become even rarer, and 190 class deer are rare western diamonds.

For the fi rst 10 years of my hunting career, I only hunted the same area of public ground in northeastern Utah. I was young, it was close to home, and my family has hunted this same area for almost 100 years. You could say I hunted there as much out of habit and tradition as anything. As most of those reading this know, finding a mature buck in a Utah general season area isn't any easier today than it was just following the winter of 92/93. In fact, I think it's safe to say that in many areas, the deer hunting in Utah has never been worse.

Th e most important thing a hunter can do if he wants to harvest trophy mule deer is to hunt where trophy deer live. You may have the best shooting custom rifl e out there, the best optics money can buy, the latest ATV, and the nicest rig on the mountain. But guess what? If you're not hunting where a big buck lives, it doesn't matter what you've got in the way of equipment, skill, or even luck. After years of reading 'Eastmans' Hunting Journal,' and the stories of big mule deer elsewhere, my plan started to take shape. It was time to start hunting and applying in several states each year. Applying for several states each year is becoming increasingly expensive. Th at being said, I think the average hunter can still aff ord to play the application game in several states if he's willing to make it a priority. It amuses me to listen to hunters complain about not being able to apply for several Western states when seated in a $30,000 truck and pulling a trailer with over $20,000 worth of ATVs, and equipment. I realize that this isn't the case with most hunters, but if you're truly committed to hunting big mulies year after year you'll fi nd a way to do it. Many a mule deer tag has been secured by guys willing to work side jobs, and do without the daily energy drinks, and all of the other things we seem to throw our money at.

Many hunters have a separate bank account and credit card for the sole purpose of applying for hunts. Th ankfully almost every Western state now accepts online applications with a credit card. I'd say that on average a hunter needs about $2000.00 set aside each year for playing the mule deer application game. The majority of which, a hunter will receive back in refunds along with the dreaded 'unsuccessful' letters. I would suggest that you start playing the bonus and preference point game in every state available. Th is alone is going to yearly cost the average hunter upwards of $1000 for licenses and application fees. Th is is a lot of money for most of us, but when you consider that most guided hunts that off er a true crack at a trophy buck range from $5000-$20,000 or more, you're money ahead in your quest for the buck(s) of your dreams. Unfortunately it looks as if hunting is going to become increasingly more expensive each year. If it continues down the current path, I do see a day when the average hunter isn't going to be able to aff ord to hunt mule deer in several states, let alone his or her own……

Th ere has never been a better time for hunters to access information than there is today. Magazines such as the Eastmans' Hunting Journal and others are invaluable sources of western hunting information. There are numerous websites dedicated to mule deer hunting. State wildlife agencies websites are perhaps the most important tool in locating areas that are currently producing big bucks.

Boone and Crockett has made it easy to access the current trophy producing counties on their website. There are numerous books focused solely on trophy mule deer in several states. Th e recently released book 'Public Land Mulies' by David Long, and Mike Eastmans' classic, 'Hunting High Country Mule Deer' should be found in every serious mule deer hunter's collection. Hunting DVDs give viewers a more visual look into what an area has to offer in both terrain and trophy potential.

Minutes after many trophy bucks are harvested emails and posts on various websites are humming with activity. Information on trophy areas is there for the taking if hunters are willing to do some digging, and the digging has never been easier.

Every western state has at least one or two well known areas that consistently produce trophy bucks. Units such as the Arizona Strip in Arizona, the Paunsaugunt in Utah, Colorado's unit 10, New Mexico's unit 2B, and western Wyoming's high country have produced giant bucks for years. However, due to their popularity among hunters, areas such as these are often next to impossible to draw, and many of these units aren't as good as they were just a few short years ago. Especially concerning is the current situation facing most of western Wyoming's high country. The famed country of Wyoming's region G and H, has been over hunted by hardcore mule deer hunters for several years, and the continued loss of unspoiled winter range has many wondering if it will ever make a comeback.

Southeast Idaho was once a top producing area for trophy mule deer, but like much of the West, over hunting and a myriad of other factors has led to its decline as a consistent trophy producing area. Unfortunately, too many western state wildlife agencies depend solely on selling mule deer tags to fund the bulk of their fi nances. In turn, most mule deer herds continue to be over hunted. Even when the majority of hunters would rather hunt less often if it meant they'd have a quality experience and the opportunity to harvest a trophy animal.

With this in mind, there is still some great mule deer hunting to be had if a hunter is willing to do some searching. It's been my experience that in order to consistently produce big mule deer bucks an area needs the following.

Th e fi rst thing to look for is high buck to doe ratios. It seems that an area with at least 25 bucks to 100 does will have a better makeup of buck age classes, and in turn an overall healthier herd. Th ere also seems to be a direct correlation to the health and number of fawns found in areas with higher buck to doe ratios. Areas with these types of ratios and higher are likely stable or growing, and will insure good hunting for years to come. Contrary to popular belief these areas do not always have the best habitat or terrible draw odds.The overall hunter success rate of an area is something to pay attention to as well. Success rates over 40 percent are a good indication that it is a quality unit, but it's also important to pay attention to the average age of deer harvested. A general unit in Utah may have a success rate near 40 percent, but when the average age of the deer harvest is 2 1/2, it's not an area I consider as a consistent producer of above average deer.

The continuing debate on micro managing areas will likely go on for years, but the fact is that it works, and states such as Colorado and Nevada continue to reap the rewards, while states that macro manage the majority of hunting units such as Utah continue to produce poor trophy opportunities for the majority of its public land deer hunters.

Look for areas that are limited for both resident and nonresident hunters alike. Region G in Wyoming is a prime example of this, as nonresidents are generally limited to around 1000 deer tags, while the entire region is open to all resident hunters. Th e recent increased pressure by resident hunters is one piece of the declining trophy mule deer puzzle of western Wyoming.

Smaller micro managed units such as the nearby area 102 is managed by limiting the number of resident and nonresident hunters a like. While this doesn't always insure better trophy potential, it generally does insure a better hunting experience with fewer hunters in the field. Th ere is no substitute for time spent in the field. Even if it's in a unit you may only hope to draw in the future, don't short change yourself and become one of those guys that haven't set foot in a unit until he draws a tag. Hunter's draw great tags every year and return home beaten down and unsuccessful because they haven't done their homework. Th ey spend valuable days scouting during the hunting season when they should be hunting. If you can't make it to an area before hunting, do as much homework as you can on the phone and from studying maps.

Over the years Mike Eastman has pointed out that most successful hunters hunt the same units year after year, or units with similar terrain. My most successful hunts have been in units with elevations from 6500 feet to above timberline. I tend to lean towards areas with big deep canyons, abundant quakies, and thick black timber. My hunting style over the years has been tuned to hunt this type of country. I have several friends that would rather hunt the lower pinion juniper country, and over the years they've learned how to best hunt this type of country. Deer tend to behave the same in similar habitat types, be it the Bob Marshall of Montana, or the high country of Wyoming's Salt River Range. Choose units that offer the type of hunting terrain you're used to.

Th ere is nothing more motivating to a mule deer hunter than hunting an area with the potential to produce trophy bucks. Just as there is nothing more discouraging than hunting the same areas year after year that offer little or no potential to harvest the buck of a lifetime. If you're serious about putting your tag on big mule deer, put your own plan into action, and make it happen.

Paul's picks for the 2007 hunting season:
Montana-270
Idaho-45
Wyoming-128/129
Utah-Henry Mountains
Colorado-21
New Mexico-2b
Arizona-13b
Nevada-231

Check out Paul Kendall's Never Enough Western Big Game DVD's. Paul is also booking elk and deer hunts on private ranches in Utah. For more information contact Paul at 435-654-9602 or visit his website www.neverenoughbiggame.com.

younggun308

Good article, thanks for sharing.

younggun308

That article was good, but I wonder, it Eastman Magazine like Sports Afield? Like, so exotic I can't relate to it and never will. I was reading a Sports Afield magazine, and there was an article that all it was about was how amazing the fact was that a guy was hunting animals in Africa with a single shot rifle, and then they were talking about using A-Frame or Nosler Partition first, for a shot in the vitals, and then solids, for shooting shoulders, which is all educational and well written, but exactly how does it benefit me in the end? I'm just wondering if Eastman is like that, because, no doubt, it was a great article, but does it talk mainly about hunting in the Western Hemisphere?

ShatoDavis

More specifically it talks almost exclusively about hunting in the westernmountain states. It actually annoys some of my friends because you never see articles about hunting whitetails in eastern states, go figure. Its a good rag if you like dreaming about chasing elk, moose, Mule deer, goats, and sheep etc. Every issure there is a section dedicated to researching units, drawing odds, etc. You may not like the mag, you should try to find a copy on a newstand before you up to doe for the subscription.